Goats are the main reason my house didn't have a garden, just land, previous owner's son's goats ate it. Also the reason why the veg garden and orchard are fenced.
Sounds a good sociable few days @Lizzie27, have a relaxing weekend.
I'm still at daughter's. She'll be back this afternoon. Her 3 yr old son didn't wake until 10am, thought he might wet the bed but he didn't. I've been doing HW.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
The goats we had were Angoras. Required shearing twice a year. 🙄. I’ve still got fleeces to spin. Slack, I know, but there’s always something else that needs doing around here.Â
Had a morning in the veg garden yesterday - finally cool enough to do some work out there. Â Dug up my onions, shallots and garlic. Â Never grown them before, and pretty pleased with the results. Â Pleased to see my latest radishes germinated even in all that heat - they really are a bombproof crop. Â
Going to thin my apples today.  Spent all morning doing that at West Dean on Thursday, so now have my eye in 👀.
Then some cycling later ….good to have weather you can move about in again.  But echo the calls for some more rain ……please please please.
There were at least three Norfolk villages that each lost several houses to fire this week @Hostafan1 … one at Poringland just 4 miles from us  where a fire spread from a field and destroyed 2 homes …
Everything was tinder dry; one of the fires was found to have been caused by an electricity pylon getting so hot it ignited the dry grass around it … and we also had a hot swirling wind quite unlike a normal summer breeze … it blew fires in several directions at once making it impossible for the fire brigades to hold it back.Â
Another fire was caused by a spark when a piece of agricultural machinery hit a flint and there was a spark … 🔥 within a few moments the fire had destroyed the tractor and machine and the farmer was running for his life …
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
All the fires reported over the last week or so are not only terrifying but also sole destroying. So very upsetting too for the poor folk affected. Must admit that I was also very nervous during the hot spell as we and our neighbours (our stone barn, the stone barn next door and the original old stone farmhouse) live in the middle of thousands of acres of forest. We have a long driveway to the road which is little more than a narrow country lane which one way winds down through the forest for two miles to the local village, and the other way on up for a mile or so through more forest to what is called the 'mountain top'. This vast mountain top has the most fantastic views for miles but is an area of grass, sedge and heather - very burnable - grazed by sheep and a few cattle. The far side slopes down again to civilization but there are also farmer's fields and they were all busy working with their machinery making hay and silage in the good weather. The neighbours in the house have alpacas, milking goats, pigs, water buffalo and chickens and ducks. The folk in the other barn have a few sheep and of course I have some 18 miniature mares and 3 stallions. While we may get out with our domestic pets (forest fire allowing), the thought of having to leave all our other animals to their fate simply doesn't bear thinking about. Am not looking forward to another 'hot' spell at all.
 … Tim just opened the stable doors and field gates so the animals could save themselves … and they all escaped … and thanks to their calm heads so did they and their grandchildren 😊Â
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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Goats are the main reason my house didn't have a garden, just land, previous owner's son's goats ate it. Also the reason why the veg garden and orchard are fenced.
Sounds a good sociable few days @Lizzie27, have a relaxing weekend.
I'm still at daughter's. She'll be back this afternoon. Her 3 yr old son didn't wake until 10am, thought he might wet the bed but he didn't. I've been doing HW.
Then some cycling later ….good to have weather you can move about in again.  But echo the calls for some more rain ……please please please.
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/brancaster-staithe-fire-village-still-in-shock-9164198 😢Â
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
another horrifying one where 20 homes were lost shown hereÂ
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-62255042.ampÂ
Parts of the county are in shock 😢Â
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
you may have seen thisÂ
https://www.news.com.au/national/amazing-tale-of-survival-from-tasmanias-bushfires/news-story/aefadb0600d1a8a1024809537a0450f1
 … Tim just opened the stable doors and field gates so the animals could save themselves … and they all escaped … and thanks to their calm heads so did they and their grandchildren 😊Â
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.